The Crazed Moon, Alicia's Tale
by Ilysanth
Summary: When a young girl decides to run away from the terrors of her household, she winds up in a land much worse than what she ran away from. Can she survive in this world? The world that this story takes place in is loosely based on Calradia in Indogma's story, The Warband of Wolves. There will be a very likely chance that the same characters will not be present in this world.
1. Chapter 1: Entrance to a Strange Fair

The forest at this time of year is strangely thick. The trees manage to cloud the burning sky. The animals chirp and sing in the cool shade of the trees, but they seem to vanish as Alicia goes deeper into the forest. 'They're scared.' Alicia thinks for a brief moment, but as to what, she doesn't know.

Alicia sighs and sits down on a convenient boulder in the thick forest. 'I should turn back. No, no. I'm not going back there. Not back to that hell hole.' She gives a sigh and looks towards a ring entwined around her right ring finger. The ring had a beautiful snake curled around the green jewel at its center. 'My father said it would be help me one day. My stepmother tried to steal it and sell it though. Why is it that stepmothers are always such evil parents?' Alicia gives a sigh and notices the singing of different types of birds. 'Huh. Strange. I'd better get back home. I've stayed here long enough.'

Alicia quickly walks out of the forest, but she looks around with a confused look when she is met with empty grass for a good distance. She scratches her head. 'Where am I? I'd better look for the park ranger, I guess. Or should I go back to the forest?' She glances behind her to the forest but shakes her head. 'No. 'The park ranger always knows where to go'. My father always said.' She checks her pockets, but only finds a small amount of pennies and nickels. 'Should've brought my phone.' She gives a sigh and checks to see if her gun is in its holster. 'It's illegal, but at least I'll have some protection if someone decides to attack me. Hopefully a cop doesn't take this the wrong way. Why am I worrying about this?'

After a few minutes of walking, Alicia seems a small village in sight. Unfortunately, her face pales when she sees that the buildings are somewhat damaged and torn in several places. What's even more surprising is that the buildings appear to be in one of those bad medieval movies that usually received bad ratings. She rubbed her eyes several times and even pinched herself several times.

'No...this is...very, very real.' She takes a look around and holds her head. 'Where am I? Some sort of freak Medieval Fair? Yeah, that must be it. I'll just...ask around. Maybe they'll take a moment to tell me where Angeltown is.' As she walks over to the "fair", the sound of horses running in the wind got closer and closer. She takes a look towards the sound, and she shrieks when she sees that the sound belongs to an army! The army has mostly well armed cavalry in the front as well as a well dressed man with plate armor and a black surcoat with 4 white stars and a white dragon's head on it. 'They seem to be heading towards the village...why? Wait. What if he's a lord...who's pretending to collect taxes? Do they do that in these fairs? I should have gone to one.' She gives a sigh, and looks in the village. She notices that there aren't very much people working at all. There are some ragged looking men wearing crude weapons and crude armor patrolling around the village. One of them shouts an alarm, and Alicia proceeds to hide in the shrubs for cover. 'Oh wait. They're...alerted by the army?'

The men stir and gather in the village. For some reason, however, the men gather outside of the village and some of them are uncomfortably close to Alicia's hiding spot. 'Don't...don't breath.' The men speak in a guttural tone, as if they had no real education.

"Ach, lads. I 'ate it wheen these Swadian bluebloods came and ride oos out! Why cannae we loot in peece, eh?" The man seems either drunk, or his tongue was cut out when he was a kid. Alicia figures it is probably both.

Another man snorts. "Shaddup, Crowley. Keep yer mouth shut and let me do me talking." The bandits seem to tense when he speaks. 'He must be the leader.' Alicia figures.

The army stops in front of the men, who seem rather nervous for some reason. The leading man dismounts from his horse and looks around. "Which one of you is the village elder?" He speaks in a tired voice. His men look rather tired as well, but the odd thing was that some of his men were women! 'I thought women were supposed to be oppressed in the medieval ages.' Alicia looks at the scene with a confused look. 'I don't think this is a fair either. Their armor looks...real, almost. Their weapons have been sharpened as well. "Answer me!" The man shouts and places a hand on his sword hilt.

"Ach, milord." The leader says in a careful tone. "The village elder is ill right nao, and he tol' me, his bestest frand to talk wit' ye." He gives a rough, yellow toothed smile.

"You lie!" The man shouts again in an angry tone. "The village elder sent a runner to be rid of you bastards." He draws his sword.

"What?! That bastar-." The blueblood slashes his sword in a quick and precise manner. The leader of the "bastards" has a surprised look on his face as it plops down towards the floor atop a bloody pool.

"You...you kilt him!" The ragged men pull out their weapons, but they keep their distance from the man. The army behind him braces themselves to charge at the ragged men.

Alicia stares at the fallen head. The surprised look bores into her soul. The pool of blood gives it a dark halo, almost a glow to it. 'This...this is real! Oh, no. How did I...I need to get out of here!' Without thinking, the 18 year old girl steps out of her cover. One of the ragged men shouts and points at her. Unfortunately for them, this causes the army to think that was an order to strike them down. The army rams their horses into the ragged men.

The battle begins as quickly as it ended.

Alicia merely stands there. If it is out of shock for her presence being alerted or the fact that running would make her look like a criminal, she doesn't know. The ragged men quickly surrender to the superior army. The blueblood gives some orders to his men and glances towards the frozen Alicia when one of his men points her out. He walks over to Alicia slowly, but his eyes tell that he is thinking of something.

When he finally reaches Alicia, he lowers himself a little to meet at her at eye level. "Are you alright, girl?" He asks in a soft, but hoarse voice. His eyes searched her face, her figure, her soul. They appear to be a slim shade of light green, but scars run along the outside of the eyes in various places. The rest of his face is also covered in slight scars and battle bruises around the hardened student's face.

"Captain, the girl 'as some strange clothing on 'er." One of the women soldiers marched forward and points out her leather jacket, white blouse, and thin, black, torn jeans. "I t'ink she's ah witch. We shoul' burn 'er at the stake." The woman has a genuine look of horror to her face, and Alicia could see that some of the other soldiers shared her despair.

"Stand down, Alvia." The scarred man spoke in a soft, but demanding tone. Alvia nods and salutes the captain before returning to her place among the troop. 'I don't think she's done with me.' Alicia gives a sigh, and she could feel the sympathetic look on the scarred man's face. 'Am I really in the medieval ages? Did I time travel...all those years ago? Am I in England? Or Germany? I don't recognize these accents at all, or the armor's telltale craft. Maybe you can't correctly tell what the past is like with just stories and ancient texts.' The scarred man extends his arm out. "My name is Count Alankel. I am a Count of Swadia, but my friends and company just call me Alan."

Alicia takes the hand and shakes it weakly. "I am Alicia. I'm uh...a bit lost." A story quickly comes to her mind and she smirks slightly. "I'm a merchant who got ambushed by bandits down the road." She gives a sigh. "They took my horses and goods, and even killt all of my guards." 'It isn't exactly how they speak, but I guess it will do.' She manages a nervous smile at the man. "I'm...ah, at a loss for coin and such. Do you know where we are? I ran as fast as I could from those bandits and couldn't get my stuff."

Alan nods, and Alicia gives a silent sigh of relief. "You're in Swadia, Lady Alicia." He speaks in a tired, melodramatic tone. "The village nearby is Nomar, and you were lucky to have found us when you did. Those aren't the last of those bandits around here, and they're actually more shifty than they seem." He gives a sigh and runs his fingers through his hair. "Sara." He says and a woman rides next to the man.

"Yes, captain?" The woman says in a chiming song. She is dressed in chainmail with a different insignia on its surcoat. A lute with a snake wrapped around the base.

"Kill the rest of the bandits. Capture any who surrender and bring them here, if there are any." Alan turns to Alicia. "You must be tired from all that running. I'll show you to my tent, and you can catch some rest there." He moves swiftly away from the village without waiting for Alicia. Alicia quickly follows him away from the shuffling noise of hooves and trampled grass.


	2. Chapter 2: Alankel, The Barley Count

"You must be tired from your trip from Earth." Alan says as soon as they enter his tent. Strangely, he appears rather young for a normal Count. Perhaps a little over twenty years of age. His hair has streaks of crimson red and ebony black over the long, shoulder length strands. His scars seem to be more apparent in the pale torch light of the tent, as well as his brilliant green eyes. A look of sympathy and worry is on his visage, but there is also something in his eyes that states homesickness. A feeling that Alicia would have encountered a few years ago.

"I'm sure you're confused and such. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. Tea?" He pours out some steaming tea into a small cup. "Don't worry; I haven't resorted to poison quite yet."

"How did you know that?" Alicia raises an eyebrow and takes the steaming cup. She sips from the cup. It's surprisingly cool despite the steam coming from it.

"You came with the strangest clothes for a woman of this time. You also brought a nice weapon with you." He motions towards the gun. "You're just lucky we found you before any of the villagers saw you." He exhales deeply and runs his fingers along the black surcoat wrapped around his plate armor. "The people in this land are…superstitious, to say the least. They're very much like the medieval villagers back in those bad movies and books." He lowers his head, and his voice seems to strain to spit the words out. "They burn people who are different at the stake. They call us witches."

She looks down at her clothing and shudders. "Burned at the stake. Does that mean I've travelled back in time? I don't get it. I've never heard of travelling through time before. How did you even survive if the people here…burn us at the stake?" She feels the deathly grip of smoke rise through her nose as the images of the scared men and women of Alankel's army stares at her through the minutes that pass. The face of the decapitated man in rags staring at her. The cruel blade that severed his connection to life. The moving eyes that seem to stare at her. 'It was your fault I died.' Alicia shrieks and covers her ears. "Who said that?"

In a short time, Alankel moves his hand over Alicia's shoulder. "Calm down. Drink some tea. It will soothe you." He gives a sigh. "I know what you saw is going to haunt you for life and maybe more. It did me good for a while too. You have to get over it though. Those men we drove out were bandits. They were oppressing the people. MY people." He picks up his chair and places it near to Alicia. "We're in a world called Calrador. There are two reachable continents in this world called Calradia and Pendor. This world faintly resembles the Medieval Europe you might know, and the law of the land is the sword as you may have seen. The only differences are there are Mongolians, Arabians, and Russians are here. They're called the Khergits, Sarranaids, and Vaegirs respectively. There's also magic, Elves, Undead, and Snake Cultists and some other fantasy things in the continent of Pendor. I highly recommend staying away from there until you learn how to live around here." He takes a large gulp of tea.

"This is another world? How is that possible? I was just walking through the forest away from home an hour or two ago." Alicia holds her head and groans. "Is there any way to go back home? Maybe we can use some of this magic in…Pendor? I feel like I've heard that somewhere before."

Alankel nods. "The forest seems to be the way to get here, but not the way to go back." He sighs at the mention of the failure. 'He must have tried it before.' Alicia figures. "You might have heard of Pendor if you've played video games, though." Alicia shakes her head. "Well, if you did, the worlds of Calradia and Pendor were in a game of some obscure company called…Fairy..tales? Something like that. They shut down a few years ago before I left, which was some time ago. A real shame. I would have loved to have a real guide to this world. Oh! That reminds me. We should get you something to wear. We can't have you in Suno with those clothes on. Even though you might pass for a Barclay merchant, it will still attract too much attention from the racist villagers, which is what most young Pendor merchants often forget." He stands up and motions for her to follow him.

"Suno? What's that? Some sort of village?" Alicia asks when they're walking towards a smaller tent.

"It's the town I am lord of. It's the second largest town in the Kingdom of Swadia."

"How did you manage to be a lord of a town like that?"

Alan chuckles. "I took three majors when I was in college. Psychology, War Medicine, and Kung Fu."

"The last one isn't a major, though." Alan quickly hushes her and points around the campsite.

She glances around the campsite. There are a few guards here and there. They seem to do a better job of patrolling the campsite than regular policemen do back on Earth, but they don't seem to notice their conversation. In the center is a large fire with a giant steaming pot above it. A cook mixes and adds spices and additives to the pot. Some of the guards wave to Alankel warmly. Alankel returns the greetings with a quick acknowledgement. He walks up to the cook and waves to her. "Savan. How's the food coming along?"

Savan chuckles and mixes the stew's contents. "If you're hoping to get an early bite, I suggest you stay away." Savan's skin has the thick lines and scrunches of old age. Her hair has thick streaks of gray, but some lines of black still run defiantly through the forests of gray. A simple white blouse and red breeches are behind a flowing brown apron are on her form. She seems to stare intently into the stew as she gracefully mixes it with a wooden ladle.

Alicia looks towards the stew and finds that it almost radiates with the glow of the fresh ingredients that her mother used to buy from the organic market back at home. "Home." She mutters softly to herself. The smell of the sweet spices reaches and her nose and she lets out a relaxed sigh. "It smells good, Miss Savan. What did you put into that?"

Savan glances behind her to Alicia. Her face has a few scars here and there, and the skin has crumples from a thick coat of age. "And who is this, Alan? Did you finally find a nice girl to marry off into court? She's wearing awfully strange clothing. Almost as if she is one of those Barclay women." Savan says in a joking, but almost motherly fashion. She chuckles and turns back to the stew. "Where are your manners, Alan? You should introduce us. She seems like a sweet lass."

Despite the words coming out of his mouth, Alan speaks in a steady and practiced tone. "Savan, this is Alicia. She's a merchant from Barclay who had an unfortunate run in with bandits. They took all of her cargo and left her with only the clothes on her back. Alicia, this is Savan. She's our cook and quartermaster of my company. If you'll stay with us, maybe you can share our fire and food. Oh! I almost forgot. Savan, I don't suppose you have some spare clothing for Alicia, do you? I'd hate for her to jeered by the villagers because of her foreign clothing."

"Needs some Khergit Spicesalt." Savan says softly and shakes the contents of a red shaker into the stew. "Ah? Oh, sorry, Alan. Of course you can. There should be something that fancies the girl in my chest." She reaches into her apron and hands Alan a key. "I hope you don't mind a slightly bigger dress, Alicia. I'm a bit larger than you Barclay women." She gives a laugh and waves them off.

"Barclay?" Alicia asks when they are inside the tent. "What and where is that?" Alan opens the chest swiftly and reveals a simple, but large array of simple dresses that seem a bit large for Alicia. "Also, it's been a while since I've worn a dress before."

"You'll have to get used to it, dear. Go ahead and pick one out." He turns around. "Just be quick. I expect the men to be back soon."

Alicia quickly picks out the smallest dress and attempts to work it on. She reaches behind her and tumbles at the buttons. "About your majors, Kung Fu isn't really a major, you know."

He chuckles and shrugs. "It might have well been. I practiced it every other day while in college, and it really helped me a lot in…situations like these. What did you do back at home?"

Alicia takes a gulp and stutters out. "I…I, um. I worked in the city, actually. Angeltown. It's back in California. I helped my dad run a small glasswork shop. I went to college for a year before I ended up here." She finishes with the buttons. "I'm done. What do I do with these?" She points towards her old clothes.

"Leave it in the chest. I'll tell Savan later on in the day. "I've heard of that place. Didn't it get burned down almost entirely by those crazy fires? Oh and not to mention that nuclear accident." Alan says this all with a casual tone. Not a single drop of emotion hits his face.

"That happened a year ago. When did you even reach this world?" Alicia looks at him with what she thinks is a confused look.

"Actually, I rescued someone else from Angeltown as well. A few weeks ago, actually. A very, very odd man who calls himself Seamus Mormegril. He's a powerful fighter though, and he hasn't done much harm yet." He smiles at Alicia. "I guess I'm just really lucky to save two home-friends in such a short time."

A shuffling of horse hooves sounds in the distance along with shouts of joy. "The men must have returned." Alan guides Alicia out of the tent. "We can meet the rest of the crew."


	3. 3: Heaven's Crown, the Pride of Swadia!

Alan whispers into Alicia's ear briefly before they walk to the center of the feasting army. "Don't mention Earth to any of the company. Not even Mormegril. He's a bit unstable, and I won't be able to stop them from burning you at the stake if you screw this up. Just let me do the talking, and act the humble merchant. Also, keep your gun hidden in your dress." Alicia opens her mouth to protest, but Alan's deep, green stare silenced her immediately. She keeps the gun at its hidden spot behind her dress. Luckily, there seemed to be a small, convenient opening inside the dress for it a small object to be placed in. "And relax. It will look better if you're not twiddling your thumbs or shuffling your feet too much."

Alicia nods and smiles faintly at him. "I'll try my best." Alan nods and guides the both of them to the center of the camp.

Savan is pouring portions of the steaming stew to hand out to the men and women of the camp. Most of the men and women appear to be battle hardened students in their young 20s while others seem to be in their late 30s. They wear all assortments of plate armor and chain mail armor. The only thing they seem to have in common is the threatening black surcoat with 4 white stars and a dragon's head on it. The dragon's head shifts to the fallen bandit's head for a brief moment and she covers her eyes. "What's wrong?" Alan puts a hand on her shoulder.

Alicia removes her hands slowly and notices a few of the soldier's heads turn their way. "I keep seeing the decapitated bandit's head. I don't see why you had…to kill him like that."

Alan gives a sympathetic nod and guides her to the stew. "You'll be better on a full stomach, and killing the bandit is a matter of survival. You should get used to it. Better people than him suffer worse in a land like this." He says simply and waves to Savan.

Savan gives him a smile that lacks a number of teeth in several places. "The dress looks nice on you, lass." She pours out two bowls for the two of them. "No seconds today. We're running low on supplies."

Alan takes his bowl and thanks Savan. "It's a good thing we'll be riding straight for Suno then. The men need rest, and I need to attend to city matters. We left Alicia's old clothing in your chest. I hope that doesn't bother you."

Savan gives a laugh while she pours out more bowls for the troop. "It doesn't. Some Barclay clothing will spice it up a bit. You should introduce her to the rest of the crew. They'll be happy to finally see a normal Barclay person out here in Calradia."

"What does that mean?" Alicia automatically asks. She scratches her head and glances down at her feet. 'I'll never get used to wearing this.'

Savan merely halfheartedly places three fingers over her heart, and then swipes her forehead slowly with the three fingers. Alicia looks at Savan and then at Alan. "What's she doing?" Alicia raises an eyebrow at Roland.

"It's a sign to ward off evil. Don't worry, Alicia. No one believes in that crap in this party." He sighs loudly and dips some of the stew in his mouth with a spoon. "Calradians are a bit wary of Barclay men. It's mostly because the ones that manage to come here are idiotic merchants." He merely glances at Alicia with a smirk. "or crazy heretics that preach the word of Erida Occisor."

"Eraeda Occ…what?" Alicia holds her head with one hand and groans. "There's…" Alicia quickly glances at Savan and gulps. "There's just so many religions in Barclay. Who's Erida Occ..Occ…whatever its name is."

One of the soldiers turns to them and says in a joking manner. "She's the all-mighty Goddess that can summon demons to assist her followers. Honestly though, all she seems to be good for is scaring children to bed. Her followers are based in the Barclay region of Pendor where they say their 'magic' works so much better there. Oh, I haven't seen you around here, my lady." The man bows to Alicia and puts a fist over his heart. "I am called Sigrun Armine. I am a proud cavalry leader of Alankel's warband company called Heaven's Crown."

The man is clad in light, chainmail armor with the same threatening surcoat the rest of the company has. His hair is completely snow white, but his face shows no blemishes old age gives to him. His figure is outlined with muscles, but his body is more of a lithe figure and not a bulky figure. There is only a long scar that runs through his left, defiantly opened eye. A large great sword is sheathed on his back as well as a small axe at his belt. His eyes are a strange color Alicia has never seen back on Earth; they are dark black irises that almost blend in with the surronding darkness around it. His height is a few inches taller than Alicia's five foot 5 inches. The man, despite his seemingly formal greetings, grins widely and warmly at her. "I assume you are from Barclay, my lady? It's so strange to see someone of your heritage here in these lands as well as someone who is not killing us for a change. If the captain welcomes you with open arms, I shall too. I'm sure the rest of the company will welcome a friendly Barclay as well. We have so much to discuss, you know."

Alan shakes his head. "I'm afraid Alicia will be able to tell you very little of Braclay. She told me she spent most of her time travelling Pendor with her father before he passed away. She's also still recovering from the attack of some bandits who recently robbed her blind."

"I'm sorry I can't tell you much about Pendor, Sigrun. I'll be happy to do so at a later time though, but even my knowledge is little more than knowing what spices and trade goods to sell." Alicia smiles at Sigrun, who gives a brilliant smile that only has a few chipped teeth here and there. It seems like a relatively healthy smile…'Considering Savan's teeth.'

Sigrun gives a nod to Alicia and waves to his captain and the "merchant". "Perhaps another time, Alicia. I must be returning to George, then. He thinks he can beat me in a game of Vert, and my 20 denars will say otherwise." He bows to Alicia. "I hope you'll be staying with Heaven's Crown, my lady. Alan pays very well, and he'll teach you to wield a sword very well."

Alan purses his lips. "What are you thinking about, Alan?" Alicia tilts her head and looks at him. 'Better make a mental note of this. He purses his lips when he's in thought.'

Alan guides them around the campsite. "I'm thinking about Sigrun's idea, and I like it."

"You mean train me with a sword? As well as stay here?" She leaves out the unspoken question of returning home.

"It's not a bad idea, and it will take months to return to where you came from. I'll teach you the customs and social skills you need around here, and maybe you can tell me about your homeland while I train you. I'm eager to hear what's happening in Barclay these days." He winks at Alicia and smirks. "Maybe one day, you'll be able to serve as a Countess of Swadia!" He gives a bellowing laugh.

"How is the last part funny?" Alicia raises an eyebrow. "Aren't women leading armies around here somewhere? I mean, you have women around here, and they seem to be treated just as fairly as anyone else."

Alan shakes his head. "Calradia is more…conservative than Pendor. The women here aren't as powerful as they are in Pendor. They don't really fight in armies around here except for a few mercenary parties as well, and they certainly do not become powerful land owning bluebloods." He clears his throat. "My warband is a rare exception. I employ women in my army, because they're just as capable of fighting as well as any man. It's also because of a bet I recently won. The practice never really went away, though. I sort of enjoy women's company around here. It almost reminds me of home." He looks at Alicia, chuckles softly and shakes his head. "I mean they make great conversationalists. They also manage to keep my head from swelling too much. It reminds me of a book I read, but…I can't quite remember. It was a book back at home." He sighs and shakes his head.

They reach a small group of soldiers sitting around a board with cards on it. The cards seem to be arranged in a similar style to Earth's 21. The three cards in the center are a face down card, a proud man in heavy plate armor with a surcoat that has a black surrounding with two swords clashing in the center, and a ragged man with light chain mail and a surcoat with a white cover and a crown in the center. The art style seems beautifully hand drawn. It feels like something made from outsourcing, almost. Alicia shudders at the thoughts and pushes it away roughly. "Those are beautiful cards. Where did they come from?"

"A man named Jilgo Pompo created the ideas of cards some time ago. We invented a few games to use the cards for, and they just stuck with us." Alan points towards the men, who only give a glance and wave at their captain. "These men are some of my veterans. This is Jacob Marshwellow. He hails from the Rhodok Mountains." Jacob, despite being a veteran, appears to be one of the young students who have seen too many battles to be healthy. He has several scars running along the side of his face, and there are bandages around his head. His form is filled with large muscles that almost look out of place with his well cropped hair and clean armor. A large morning star hangs from his weapon's belt along with some assorted knives, bandages, and a small pouch. He places his cards down along with everyone else, and he gives a joking sigh.

"Well, it looks like ah lost, lads!" He gives a chuckle, stands up and stretches his limbs. He wears cleanly groomed leather armor that has few dents in it at all. "I'm going to stop 'fore I lost all me money." He turns towards the captain and Alicia. "Ah, capt'n." He nods to Alan and turns to Alicia. "Foun' a new recruit, have you, capt'n? She looks mighty dandy if you ask me. She's gots a little fight in her. I can see it in her eyes. You ever look to join me and my frontlines men? We'll give you a nice shaping, and you'll be a nice killing machine in no time!"

Alan chuckles at his suggestion. Alicia scratches her head and shrugs. "Maybe, but I'm…really just a merchant's daughter. I don't think I'll be ready for the front lines any time soon." She says after Alan's short silence.

Jacob laughs heartily and slaps a hand over Alicia's shoulder. She recoils a little from the blow, but she's unharmed. "Nonsense!" He blurts out. "Most of the men and women in the linesmen was mere farmers and bandits. I toughed them out just well, and now they've some of the most feared infantry in all of Calradia and s'me parts in Pendor, too! O' course, Swadia is more famous for them knights." He chuckles. "But Sigrun and ah are bestest buddies in war and peace. Of course, not when he decides to steal me girls." He gives a yawn. "Ah'm gonna hit the sack, capt'n. You know where to get me." He walks off to a tent in the distance.

Alan grins widely at Alicia. "It isn't a bad idea, Alicia. You'd learn to survive pretty well with him. He's not really far off with his words, either. He's a tough man, sure, but he'll make you a firm warrior given the time. I highly recommend it if you're going to stay in this company."

Alicia's gaze turns to the floor for a brief moment, but she lets out a shrug. "I'll talk to him in the morning, then."

Alan introduced Alicia to the rest of the soldiers in a blur of the rest of the night. The stew's minty aftertaste remained throughout the night. It felt strange in her mouth, but she figured she would have to get used to it eventually.

As the sun set behind the hills, Alicia met many men and women with many different tales and hardships. Many of the men were farmers, merchants, or unskilled workers who joined Alan and proved themselves in Swadia's many wars. The women were mostly merchants, widows, or even whores who didn't have any other choice besides lay down and die or join Alan in the endless fighting of Swadia. They were toughened out eventually though, and they served in Heaven's Crown – Alan's great warband – which won many key battles for Swadia and put many wars to a close.

"There's just one thing our company can't solve." Alan says to Alicia when they enter in his tent. He gives a sigh and sits down on the rough, crude bed. "One of King Harlaus II's distant relatives is challenging his rule. The King is only a young 17 or 18, and this woman is taking advantage of his inexperience. It's frustrating, but at least His Highness has decent advisers and a strong head."

"What happened to the former king?" Alicia plops down on a chair. She spent most of the night walking around and introducing her to the soldiers. They were good folk, but the campsite seems way too spread out for efficiency.

"He died." Alan says with a grunt. "Some assassin got through the defenses of Praven and killed him in the dead of night. We never found out who pulled it off or who funded the plan, since there's just so many suspects. King Harlaus I wasn't a very respected man by the end of his life, I'll admit. I even had doubts about him when he initiated three separate wars with the Nords, Vaegirs, and Rhodoks. Luckily, his son managed to work it out with the Vaegirs and Rhodoks pretty easily. We're still fighting the Nords and the claimant's rebels." He grumbles at the end and mutters something.

"Who's the claimant? Why don't you like him?" 'Why would any king decide to fight against three different nations? Maybe he wasn't himself, or his hand was forced. Too bad we can't ask him today.'

"It's a woman, but that's not the reason I hate her. She calls herself Queen Katilus of Praven, and this isn't the first time she's incited a rebellion. Three different times – not including this one – she rallies behind an adventurer from a foreign land to gather supporters. The rebellions last for a few days, but they eventually die down with the adventurer getting shot through the heart and with she running away. The only problem is that King Harlaus I was able to defeat her every time. Now, however, she started her rebellion a few days after the former King died." He shakes his head. "She's a bloody coward, and she even has some Pendorian adventurer to rally around her banner. He's efficient, too. They've managed to split the nation into two, and the King is doing his best to keep order throughout the realm. He's tried many times to talk peace with the Nords. Something to remove a front. Oh, and what's worse is the Rhodoks are raiding us from the mountains. I didn't even know they knew how to use raid tactics. We're being attacked from two fronts and within, and we're still holding on by a miracle. I fear if something doesn't change soon, Swadia will be ruled by Katilius."

"What if we assassinate the adventurer leading them? Won't the rebellion fall apart?"

"It will be crippled, sure. They have too many lords behind them though, and I'm tempted to follow them. I won't betray my king, though. I won't betray my king for a coward who waits to strike at a dead horse."

"She seems like a good opportunist." Alicia says with a shrug. "Why shouldn't you follow a leader who has cunning?"

"Two reasons. Well, three, actually. She is a rebel; she does not like people from our homelands; and her adventurer is rumored to be a Pendorian who calls himself 'Shadow'. He hasn't really been seen fighting, but he leads her armies with extreme fervor. Even the Rhodoks and Nords are rumored to have fallen for his tricks, and they are the ones attacking us. I have a really bad feeling about Katilus, and I just can't shake it off." He sighs and shakes his head. "But enough of this, we have a long day ahead of us, and we need some sleep." He points to a sprawled out mat on the floor. "Are you fine with that, or do you need the bed? Both are a bit hard than you're used to, but you'll have to get used to it."

She looks at the mat and grumbles silently. "No, go ahead and keep the bed. You're the one leading the men." She lies down on the mat and pulls the blankets over herself.

"Good night." Alan says and settles down in the bed after removing his external armor off.


	4. 4: Alicia's Crazed Moon, Alicia's Origin

The night passed by with a large number of sounds from the wilderness. Birds, crickets, and even some other animals Alicia never heard before. Thoughts raced through her mind, memories of slaughter from this world and the world she came from returned to her, and finally, the act of terrorism she caused in the town of Angeltown.

"_We'll supply you with the bombs, and you're going in with a few of our men. Whatever you do, don't screw this up, kid. We'll be watching you, and if you even decide to betray us." The thin man runs a finger across his neck. Alicia glances around the room. They are dressed in all black. They almost seemed like they came straight out of a spy movie or a movie about a matrix._

_She looks down at herself, and finds that she is also dressed in similar colors. A black, leather jacket hangs around a white blouse around a thin chest. Thin, torn black jeans hang around her legs. Her hands have been torn by strange, sundered jobs from before. Her hands move over to a fresh scar on her face. The failures of the last job. I was lucky to be alive. "Just have the payment ready."_

_The thin man nods._

_The inside of the building, 'Phoenix Corporations', is relative empty save for some blood pools and debris in certain areas. "This place has been touched before." One of the escorts remarks with a nervous look._

"_Shut up and get your head together. There's a machine in the top floor we need to blow up." The other one shouts at him and nods to Alicia._

_As they move up the building, they see different types of experiments that were once performed. One of the things that caught Alicia's eye is a room filled with dead cockatrices with certain empty papers attached to some collars on them. Alicia quickly moves on, though, but she can't help but wonder why they were bombing an empty building._

_They reach the top of the building after what seems like an eternity. A large machine stands in the center. A faded sign called "Diamond Clock" barely stands on display of the machine. The two of them quickly move to place the bombs around the machine while Alicia stands guard. She places a hand on the small gun at her belt, and glances back at the machine from time to time. Diamond Clock. What a strange name._

"_Set and charged!" They both say at the same time, and they prepare to move out. Alicia stops them and points at the machine. "They're gone!"_

_They look back and nearly jump. "Where'd they go, Biggs?" The left one shouts at Biggs._

"_I don't know, Wedge! Where'd you think they went?" Biggs shook his head confusedly._

"_Put the remaining bombs back on, and charge those up." Alicia grumbles and looks around the empty hallways._

"_There...uh, aren't any. We set them all." Biggs walks around the room. "I swear I put mine right there!" He points in front of the machine. When he does, the machine hums to life and the door swings open slowly._

"No escape."_ The voice rings in Alicia's ears along with a million other voices. She covers her ears and looks around with her blurring vision. The screams of Biggs and Wedge break through the voices after an eternity of despair. Her vision clears, and she can see them laying on the floor with frightened gazes on their visages._

"No escape!" Alicia sits up with a gasp and looks around. The faces of Biggs, Wedge, the bandit. The Diamond Clock. Even the sounds of battle. "No escape." She repeats to herself.

The blankets on Alan's bed are well organized and clean. His voice is heard outside shouting orders to the troops. "Time to go. The past is behind me, and it will always behind me."


	5. Chapter 5: Calradia's Well Being

The trip to Suno proved to be interesting but dangerous for Alicia. Although the bandits were felled as quickly as they were chased down - which Alan insisted on doing – the party was forced to avoid large rebel armies serving Queen Katlius of Praven. "It's better to just avoid them. They have well trained and proud Swadian men, and I'd rather not risk our morale plummeting because of heavy losses for battles we can avoid. The bandits should always be taken care of promptly, or they'll start infesting the lands with their greed." Alankel says after a few rebel armies pass by. 'He seems to be good at running away.' Alicia ponders. Alan looks at the bandit prisoners and scoffs at them. "Pathetic mongrels feeding on the kingdom. Almost like the officials back at home." Alan spits to the side, and Alicia catches some amused smirks from the troops. 'I agree. Politicians never do anything right in these times.' Alicia wanted to say, and she quickly chased away her memories of fighting for her cause.

"Why do you keep the prisoners?" Alicia asks while sitting proudly on her horse. She seems to be doing almost as well as Alankel and the rest of the men. 'I always loved riding Buttercup back at my uncle's ranch. He always seemed so nice to me when everyone else just wanted to spill my guts. I kinda miss him.' Alicia gives a silent sigh. 'The good people always have to die.'

"Ramun the slaver pays well for prisoners." Alan quickly adds in before Alicia can give a wrong question, "He treats them well for a slaver. They get food and water and shelter. It's a lot more than they would if they resorted to the 'Life'." He puts mock emphasis on the last word and scoffs. "If there was a way to kill them all, I would. Their equipment, stolen goods, and bodies sell for a decent price. They're nothing like the Seafolk back in the Nordic lands, but you take what you can get. Strangely enough, the Seafolk are a bit more honorable than these bastards. They actually only raid guarded caravans, but they'll attack villagers if they're desperate." Alan gives a chuckle. "Or if they're doing well, they try to capture a few Nordic lords for ransom money."

"Those fights are a wonder to watch." A voice creeps up to the side of Alicia.

Mormegril, The Magic Scavenger's Suggested Theme - watch?v=suyCi-xdjNo

She turns to see a grim, clean shaven face with gray eyes. His hair stands in small little spikes around his head. His armor is made of a metal that doesn't seem to be present in any of the other men, and his horse has dark black fur with equally dark black armor draped around it. Its glowing red eyes sneer down at the road, and its teeth are bared in an endless fury. A large claymore is sheathed in an appropriate holder on his back. Faint lights escape from the sheath, as if the sword is itching to taste some new blood. He rides with confidence, but his hands edge with fatigue, but that is the only sign that betrays his steel features. "Ah, you must be Alicia. I am Seamus Mormegril, at your service. Alankel. I bring news that Heaven's Crown will be dining well tonight in Suno. Old Kaiser has kept the city well in check." A sly smirk spreads across his face. "And the Lady Violet is -very- eager to see you as well." Mormegril turns towards Alicia. "Alicia, someone in Suno also wishes to see you. She has not disclosed her name, but she hopes that you'll come into the castle with us. She's made a strange request. I hope you will be staying." His head cocks to the side a little. "Are you curious about my weapon, dear Alicia? Have I not cleaned it properly again? I'm afraid I ran into a few brigands on the way back. I'm sorry, Roland, I slew them all. They just couldn't believe I was shooting fire out of my hands!" He snickers with a side of hysteria. "I gave the loot to Savan. She'll sell it all when we head into town."

Alicia looks at the weapon with curiosity, but not only at the fact that it was glowing, but also why everyone seemed rather calm about the man's manner and his obviously magical equipment. "Why is your sword sheath glowing?"

"I acquired this baby when I was a mercenary for King Ulris II of Sarleon when he took the throne from a tyrant and a fool back some time ago. I believe the former tyrant's name was King Ulric. Anyway, I looted this sword when I personally trapped one of his generals with a small, elite force in the midst of battle. He fought bravely, but I took his weapon from his corpse." He taps the sword a few times. "The man called himself the Champion of Pendor, and even declared himself to be the Hero of Madigan who would finally end the great turmoil that's going on over there. Bullcocky, I say. That fighting's going to go on forever. It's all those damned Heretics of Erida Occisor's fault too. They're using their demon magic to cause lords to be fighting over cattle and grass, and no one is stopping it."

"Why aren't you stopping it?" Alicia asks, and she makes a mental note to remember what he said.

"I would have started, but Alan called me back to Calradia to end the civil war over here. I wish it was going better, though. All of this Swadian killing doesn't seem very civil. I do enjoy killing Rhodoks, though. Their ideals are just so terribly wrong." He clears his throat, and speaks in a well-practiced manner. "A Republic is not what Calradia needs! It's unity granted by a single man...or woman, if she proves herself worthy. Calradia was unified by ancient Kings and Queens not a group of nobles trying to gather support for people who already have so much to do in the fields and shops! No, the common man is too busy working to keep the nation alive, and deterring them from that would only hurt Calradia as a whole." Mormegril mutters to Alicia, "Besides, they haven't invented robots yet." He continues his speech, which would have had him literally tarred and feathered back on Earth. "So if we support the Rhodoks, we support harming Calradia and its people!" The troops cheer Mormegril's crude speech, but Alicia finds herself cheering for his logic as well.

"There's Suno." Alan points out the large, bustling city. "Will you be staying with us, Alicia?"

"For the moment, yes." Alicia says.

'I wonder who this mystery person is. Also, I wonder what type of adventures are in this world? Maybe I'll be able to find a magical sword like Mormegril too?'


	6. Chapter 6: The Trainer of Lost Souls

When the party rode up to the gates of Suno, the guards quickly salute Alan and let them in without another word. The rest of the people waiting are being checked throughly. "I don't want any Katilus spies in the city. Suno is one of the richest towns in Swadia, and it's also near the border of Katilus and Ulris lands." Alan says quietly to Alicia.

The party quickly reaches the town center. Alan dismounts and shouts orders to the troops. They quickly organize into small groups an disperse around the town. "Mormegril, Alicia. On me. I'm taking you two to the castle." They walk down the narrow streets and bustling houses. The town seems a bit more lively than what Alicia is used too, and the people look very different than the average citizen of Angeltown. Most were in either shirt and breeches or a dress of some sort. The occasional armed mercenary walked down the roads, and looked at the passing women with greed. The streets have patrols from the town's garrison, and they salute Alan with grace as he walks by.

Alan and Mormegril walk in silence, and it seems a bit unnerving to Alicia. They never said a word until they stop in front of the castle gates.

"Count Alankel." The guard salutes him. "Ser Mormegril." He looks at Alicia for a brief moment. "The seneschal is expecting the both of you." He turns towards Alicia. "The Lady Violet wishes to speak with you, as well."

"Thank you, Jormane." Alan nods. "Has anything unusual been seen around here?"

He sighs. "The patrols have been force to double recently. Bandits and rebels ambush our men and the people by night, then they scurry away by day. We've tried our best to keep them out of the town, but somehow they've managed to get in. Your men will really help us burn them out, my lord. Other than that and Lady Flacara's sudden appearance, there isn't much to report."

Alan nods. "Stay strong, Jormane. Let's head inside."

The doors swing open, and the three of them walk in. Inside, there are extravagant paintings of abstract figures and fields of nature lined against the walls. The colors on the wall are simple, but they carry with them a new type of beauty. There are tables, chairs, and couches around the room in sporadic measures.

An old, graying man and a young, long red haired woman walk up to the three. The man salutes Alan briefly while the woman glares intently at Alicia.

"You've returned, Count Roland." The man says in a voice filled with fatigue and endless nights of paperwork. "I was afraid the fort would really fall if you didn't return." The two of them share a chuckle and shake hands. "How fares the bandit hunting, my dear Roland? Have you brought some denars to the depleted coffers?"

"It didn't go well as I thought it would, but well enough." Roland shrugs. "How has the fort held?"

"Decently. The bandits in the town are shifty, and the rebels aren't very much help either. It's a wonder Katlius has not laid siege to us yet. We're in disarray, and the villages are struggling to find recruits for us. We may have to invoke the Right of Conscription if this keeps up." He gives a tired sigh and sits down behind a table with a bundle of papers on it. He puts on a pair of wooden framed glasses and flips through some papers. "Even our caravans aren't making it safely unless they hire expensive mercenaries. Our trade is being run down, and money isn't flowing as it should. The King has offered aid, but the campaigns aren't going so well either. Overall, I believe we'll be forced to actually accept the Shadow Broker's deal if we're to survive much longer."

"The Shadow Broker's deal?" Alicia asks with a confused look. "Who's he?"

"Perhaps one of the richest and most powerful underground bandits there are. He offers support for desperate farmers, merchants, and if the situation arises, nobles. He gives money and aid in the form of denars and mercenaries, but we'll be forced to pay him back almost twice what we borrow." The seneschal shakes his head. "But this isn't your problem. You are…Alicia, I assume? Ser Mormegril has spoken of you."

"I guess you're the seneschal." She turns towards the woman – who is still glaring at Alicia. "Is she the Lady Violet that wishes to see me?"

The woman takes her gaze off of Alicia's face and runs her eyes across Alicia's attire. "Some people call me Lady Violet, yes, but I'm more commonly referred to as Ilysanth Flacara."  
"She accompanied me while I worked as a mercenary in Pendor. A mighty fine fighter, but not a very great cook. Are you looking to train another warrior? I hope you don't try to feed her yourself." Mormegril smirks at Ilysanth.

"I'm afraid I will be unable to disclose the details of training Alicia. I will be taking her off your hands for the moment." She quickly grabs Alicia's arm with suprising force and drags her into another room of the castle. The men say their goodbyes after them.

Alicia releases herself from the strong grip when they enter the sparsely decorated room. She takes a look at the woman.

Her hair reaches down to her back in a long, thick, red mane. Her face shows that she's fairly young, perhaps a student's face if she existed on Earth. Large, green eyes peer at her from behind scars that always seem to dangerously tread close to the eyes but never reach inside. She is dressed in black plate armor that has a red surcoat on top with a bow and three arrows shooting out. She has a thick, black cloak around her lithe build. A claymore is strappes around her back, and like Mormegril's sword, lights struggle to spill out of its sheath. Black gloves cover her hands along with silver wrist cuffs. She occasionally moves her fingers across her cuffs with a soft sigh. Alicia can notice a red rose entwined in her long, red hair.

"Did you really have to drag me back there?" Alicia places her hands on her hips, then stops herself when the woman glares at her.

Ilysanth's glare quickly softens and she sits down on a plain, wooden chair. She points towards a fancier chair with plump cushions and ribbons around its decorated features. "Sit down. You're probably tired." Alicia does so, and the chair eases in on her figure. She gives a sigh. 'Finally. I never knew sitting could be so relaxing!' "And yes, I did have to drag you. It's the start of a brutal training session, and the first thing we learn in my class is discipline. You'll begin tommorrow, since I have also been on the road for a while. I want to talk. Do you need drinks or food?"

Alicia shakes her head. "What do you want to talk about? I don't know much about Calradia."

"I want to know about your homeland. Not Barclay, the other one." Ilysanth taps her fingers on the armrest of her wooden chair.

"Uh. Alan told me not to discuss personal matters." Alicia clears her throat. "Besides, I don't even know you."

"Thank Astraea, you're not spilling your guts over a random stranger. It means you have a better slate than I thought. Your caution is appreciated, but I've already spoken to a few others about thei homeland. The doors will block out sound." She taps some fingers on her chin. "Where are you from? Seattle? New York? Stalingrad?"

Alicia raises an eyebrow, and she answers cautiously. "How do you know those places? Were you born there?"

"I was born in Castle Elecrai. It's a Noldor city, perhaps the last one. They only let two Humans in at the time I was born. My father and mother. I've trained people from your homeland before. All I really ask in return is information about their homeland. Answer my question, dear."

Alicia sighs and answers slowly. "I was um...born in Angeltown. It was a small city that was really only known for its crazy scientists who loved their ketchup."

"Mormegril mentioned a freak accident that destroyed the entire city in one fell swoop. I'm curious as to how or why that happened. It couldn't have literally been an 'explosion' of a 'reactor', could it?" Ilysanth fumbles at the strange words.

"Does everyone know about that?" Alicia snaps then sits down. She feels blood rush to her face. "Sorry, the loss of my birthplace is still sinking in."

Ilysanth nods. "My friends are on the verge of extinction. I fear my hometown will also be taken if the evil Baccus Imperials find it. I understand how you feel to an extent. How did you come to Calrador? I'd imagine it was running through a forest. It seems strange that Alankel found you so quickly."

"I was running through a forest, actually. I guess it was just luck that I found him so quickly, I guess."

The two of them talked for hours on end. Ilysanth proved to be genuinely interested about Earth, and she gave her own experiences of Pendor and Calradia. As the hours pass, Ilysanth managed to give Alicia a general idea of what Calrador is like. Ilysanth also ran through the lore of the small nation od Barclay in full detail. Neither of them asked for food or drink, but they only stopped when the company returned to the castle with grinning faces.

"Get some rest, Alicia. We have a long day ahead of us." Ilysanth says behind her. "I expect you to be up well before the sun. You are behind, and Alan's company will not rest for you."

"Why don't I show you to your room, my lady?" Sigrun extends his arm to wrap around Alicia's. "I'd like to talk about Barclay before you retire." 'Phew.'

Alicia nods and smiles at him. "It would be my pleasure." Alicia notices the company is busy feasting and making a mess out of the castle. 'I guess Alan didn't tell them he was on a budget.' Games of Vert and the 21 game is spread out on the tables. Troops are drinking heavily and draining the barrels of ale, brandy, and cider. They walk up the stairs through long winding hallways that occasionally have a servant or serving girl here or there. They pause to bow or curtsy to them as they pass by. "I hear you're training with the Lady Flacara." Sigrun grins at her. "You're lucky to be chosen, but I really hope you survive the ordeal."

"How does Ilysanth train, Sigrun? All we did was just talk today."

Sigrun chuckles and opens a door. He leads her inside to a plain room with sparse paintings of a bird and a young, grim looking woman and shuts the door behind them. He sets her down on the bed and sits on a chair. Sigrun leans back dangerously on the chair. "Well, I haven't really trained under despite the number of times I pester her beautiful face, but she trains her students well and hard. I hear she trains you with how to use a weapon and how to strategize in battles. A few even learn how to manuever in court. She chooses her students almost at random and from any background. They're mostly invalids, foreigners, or scared merchants such as yourself. She doesn't find any students, and I think you'll be the only one for a while. None of her students really die, but all of them are free to do what they wish after that. That means they might even turn on Flacara herself and she would not care."

Alicia scratches her head and groans. "Well, that doesn't sound pleasing at all. She seemed so nice when we talked, too. Is she like Sackle and Vyde or something?"

"I'm sorry, my lady?" Sigrun raises an eyebrow. "Who is this Cackle and Hide?"

Alicia blinks a few times. "It's a Barclay saying…at least in my household. It means that she's a person who is forced to live with two different personalities. One is usually good and warm hearted while the other is cruel and cold hearted."

Sigrun shakes his head. "She's always warm hearted, but as any disciplinarian should be, she's strict and firm. It'll be hard to give her candy words. That's ah, a Calradian term. It means it'll be hard to give her a hard time." Sigrun takes a look out at the window. The sun has well set into the ground, and darkness has swept in with the dieing city noises. "Darkness comes. I hope we'll be able to catch those bandits today. Good night, Alicia. Get some rest."

"Wait. About those bandits, is there any way I can help?" Alicia moves her hand down to the gun's hidden location but stops.

"Hardly. Not that I mean offense, but, these bandits seem to fight as well as any King's man." He sighs. "We're forced to believe they're trained by Katilus or some other rival kingdom. Can you even wield a sword yet? You don't even have armor if you can. Unless your people are masters at fighting in dresses."

"You're right." Alicia gives a depressed sigh. "Just come back safe, all right, Sigrun?" 'What am I doing?'

Sigrun laughs heartily. "Bandits? Kill me? You forget my lady, I am the great Sigrun! Proud cavalry captain of Heaven's Crown! Even if they are trained, they can't stop me. Good night, Alicia." He exits out of the room without another word.

The night passed away with little more than the rolling thoughts of mass murder and explosions. Demons and angels filled her mind of sleep, but also the cruel lessons of her new trainer to come.


	7. Chapter 7: Alicia's Angels in the Closet

The night dragged on for eternity, and Alicia's thoughts never halted her sleep. Thoughts became dreams; dreams became nightmares; nightmares became reality; reality became tears; tears became memories.

"No escape." _ The words rang for the hundredth time. The bodies of Biggs and Wedge sprawled on the floor with their blood staining the black marbled floor. _"No escape." _Alicia was unable to move, but it didn't feel like shock. It feels as if something was holding her there. Something is causing her to stare at the opened Diamond Clock. _"No use."

_After long, dragging moments, figures started to appear from the Diamond Clock. Large, winged, humanoid creatures._

The Scions of Fate's theme - watch?v=c0l1j7znHnU (Youtube)

_They are dressed in all sorts of strange armors and garbs that cover most of their equally assorted skin colors. It takes a while for the 10 of them to step out, but when they do, they look around warily before setting their eyes on Alicia. "This doesn't feel right. Where the hell are we?" One of the red demons says and twitches his snout. "And look at us! We look horrific. The people here have some strange fears. Even this one is too shocked to move."_

_A green one grunts and inspects his bird-like hands. "At least someone managed to activate the damn machine. We've been waiting forever now." He scowls at Alicia. "What the hell are you fools standing around for? Knock this girl out and destroy this tower. After that, we can finally get some blood!"_

_Alicia starts feeling her legs before the hit blasts her to the floor._

Alicia recoils and finds herself sitting up on the laid out mat. Roland isn't stirred at all by any noise she may have made. She shakes her head and grumbles. "Why does that keep coming back to me?" She asks softly. "I should just get some rest." She lies back down on the mat and tries to control the searing thoughts through her mind.

"No escape" was the last thing she heard before her thoughts drifted away to days on the ranch.


	8. Chapter 8: The False Hero of Madigan

"To learn the wonders of the world, you first need to learn how the great figures of history helped make it wonderful." Ilysanth paces across the room and back while tapping a ruler on the palm of her hand. The room contains a few, abandoned desks along with a larger table for Ilysanth herself, several weapon racks, and 2 racks with heavy plate armor and another with chainmail. The chairs are wooden and creaked with every movement.

Alicia is sitting on one of the desks with a small stack of thin books in front of her. "We'll start off with something familiar. Open the book at the top of the pile." Ilysanth sits down at the chair behind the larger desk and leans forward expectantly.

Alicia looks down at the title and reads it out loud, "Ilysanth Violet's Exploits with Noldor." She looks up at her teacher and tilts her head to the side. "Why is this book about you?"

Ilysanth gives a sigh and shakes her head. "You wanted to know more about the world of Calrador, and I am here to teach you. You need to be more cooperative with me, especially when I start teaching you how to fight." She shakes her head and taps her palm with the ruler again. 'That's starting to get annoying.' Alicia thinks to herself. "Oh, dear, will we need to cooperate at that." Ilysanth says half to herself. She looks at Alicia and states in a firm, practiced tone. "You're learning about me, because I am right here to answer any questions about not only my methods, but also the illustrious Noldor Elves in Pendor. They make powerful allies in any land, and they're one of the few peoples who can actually use magic in a tangible manner in most lands."

Alicia opens her mouth to protest, but sighs and nods. "All right. All right." She flips open the book, and as Ilysanth feeds her information, the words in the story seem to over-exaggerate the strength and agility of the Noldor and how Ilysanth and her warband saved the Elven lord, Ithilrandir from an Imperial army that outnumbered them 10 to 1 through the use of a strange new tactic called Gore-illa. 'Actually, this sounds like the Guerilla tactics back on Earth.' "Did you get inspiration from a certain land that day, Ilysanth?"

"Go ahead and say you're from Earth." Ilysanth says suddenly. "The walls here are thick enough to cover your screams." She smirks at those words, but it quickly fades away. "But no, I actually had an Earth Child in my warband at the time. I thought it was a silly idea until the Imperials whittled down and surrendered."

"But it also says here that the Elven lord rewarded you with access to a secret castle called Elecrai. I thought you said you were born there."

"I was." Ilysanth clears her throat. "But my family was exiled shortly after rumors spread out that we were sabotaging the castle's supplies. Lord Ithilrandir didn't give me access to the castle until I had to give him two qualis gems. He was about to slice my chest out with his broadsword, Havathang until I convinced him I was no enemy and that I was the lovechild of Sir Gregory and Lady Seraeh. Even then, my company was forced to stay outside of the castle walls while I entered into the ancient city."

"They made you a magical broadsword similar to Havathang. Do you have it? What's a qualis gem?" Alicia scans the pages of the story as quickly as she pelts questions to her teacher. 'Maybe learning the history of a champion of the world will make me become half a champion as her, too? Is this what the lessons are about? Either way, at least I'll be able to learn about magic in this world. It already sounds like something from a really bad novel, or one of those terrible fan fiction stories the nerds at school always talked about.'

"They gave me a great sword, and it is called Epilogue. It's not as great as it used to be, at least not in Calradia." She gives a sigh and walks over to one of few weapon racks on the wall. It houses a single great sword that stretched fairly longer than any great sword Alicia saw being wielded by the men and women of Heaven's Crown. Ilysanth picks up the sword and runs a gloved finger along the flat part of the blade. The blade occasionally shines with a dull white-red, and it seems to weigh heavily on Ilysanth's hands as if it is unbalanced by some odd force. "The sword is only valuable in Pendor since it uses the magic in that land. Unfortunately, it only serves as a reminder to my pact with the Noldor, and it won't serve me in a fight very well." She places it back on the rack. "That's why I wield another sword. I call it Xunmato. I don't have it with me right now, but it's that sword you saw me with. The glowing one. I've stored the energies of many quails gems to make it last for a few more years." She clears her throat and sits down near the large desk. "To answer your previous question, a qualis gem is believed to be once the tears of the dragon, Qualis. He looked over the Elven Goddess of the Light, Astraeea, but during their relationship, he often cried when he shared the Elf's pain and despair. I don't know the exact details, but that's what the Elves know." She sighs. "So much is lost because they're being slaughtered every day."

"When you say you used the gems to power your sword, does it have magical powers?" Alicia holds her head. "Are the qualis gems the source of all magic? Is that how it works here?"

Ilysanth shakes her head. "The gems themselves don't have magical powers. They merely gather and collect magical powers. Only the right people know how to harness them, but they make pretty trinkets when you change them enough. I'm not too sure about magic in general. I know it exists in Pendor, because the deities grace the land, or at least most of them used to. It's a hard concept coming from an Earthling like you, since I hear there is no magic there at all, but there are new pieces of strange machinery and weapons and interracial relationships. But enough of that. We have dabbled on for far too long, and we've spent enough time here. Take those books and bring them to your room. I'll send some servants with a few more later in the day. The rest of the day is yours, but I expect you to be ready to discuss them until 3 days pass."

Ilysanth smiles grimly at Alicia and waves her off. "Piss off. I have work to do."

"Thank you, Ilysanth. But, uh, how is this going to help me survive in the real world? Shouldn't I be learning how to fight?"

"I'll be teaching you how to fight with a lot of weapons next lesson." She looks her up and down. "And you should probably…exercise more, is that how you say it? That form will get you killed in a second of combat. Now really, go away."

Alicia walks out of the room without another word.

The day passed by smoothly, but everyone seemed to be busy training or working around the castle for some sort of leadership policy Alan cooked up a while ago. When the sun finally started setting, Alicia was already reading into llysanth's, Sir Siamat, and Donald von Brouhaha, uncle of Alaric von Brouhaha's melodramatic tales across Calrador. There even were references and hints to another world called Aura. The books don't seem to talk about it much, but the name was there in some of the books.

In the stories, Ilysanth seemed to start off as a young girl who wanted to be Madigan's Hero, who supposedly was supposed to unite all of Pendor and defeat the Four Evils of Pendor – the Erida Occisor's Barclay Heretics; the Malevolent Azi Dahaka's Serpent Cult; Vejovis' Mystmountain Barbarians with their Bearclaw, Thunderhammer (who were described similarly to Gray-skinned Orcs), and Waterknife allies, the Yatu Tribal Clans, as well as the Dark Knights of Calradia under the command of Paragon Fenris Savijanni and Avatar Neriah Thaugren. 'I wonder why there are five main evil forces?' Alicia wonders. Later on, she raised a good number of farmers and merchants to become one of the greatest fighting forces of Calrador. "They called themselves Pendor's Haven." Alicia reads aloud. "With mount, blade, and fire, they marched across Pendor and massacred many outlaws and evils in the name of purifying Pendor for good. But they also travelled to Calradia to gather yet more supporters to rebel against their tyrannical overlords. Thus, Calrador became a better place under Pendor's Haven's crusades against evil and poverty."

Sir Siamat's stories showed him as a lesser noble who looked out for the common man, and often gave his 2 village fiefs low taxes to boost their production and health. Through his actions, more of the people under him volunteered to join his army during times of peril in Calradia. He fought alongside the Khergits through many battles against the Swadians, Sarranids, and Vaegirs. He invented a new tactic of heavily armored shock cavalry to charge into enemy formations while horse archers picked off at the scattered enemy instead of using medium armored lancers for melee cavalry. Unfortunately, his tale ends abruptly with his death during the War of the Three Mormegils which pitted the entirety of Calradia against the infighting of the native factions, new rebel factions rising against the native factions, the people of a long forgotten neutral city Zendar, and the Dark Knights of Calradia. After his death, his tactic was lost in the sands of time, and the parts of Calradia that did survive continued to oppress its people greatly.

"The Dark Knights are rumored to still be alive today. They may even still be plotting to take not only Calradia, but all of Calrador." Alicia reads as she closes the book.

Strangely, the pages to Donald's single book is empty, and Alicia gives up looking for words after a few minutes of looking. Moonlight pours into the room, and she looks around. "Madam?" A knock comes to the door. "Dinner is served. Ze lord wishes to see you eating. Please come, madam."

"Just give me a second." Alicia shouts back towards the fleeing footsteps. She quickly throws a comfortable outfit of a shirt and breeches on and heads down to the dining halls.


	9. Chapter 9: The Drifting Days

The following days passed by with long hours of intensive discussions as well as intensive martial training in all sorts of weaponry and armor. Alicia proved to be most useful with a sword and shield as well as a two handed sword. She learned how to easily spot Ilysanth's weaknesses and exploits for a few exchanges, but Ilysanth often was able to switch techniques in a flash of blades. It took a while before Alicia could catch up with her technique, and when the day finally came when Alicia beat her, Ilysanth continued the lesson until she was defeated at least five more times.

Alicia learned most of the dark corners of Calrador, and in her private studies, this new world of Aura. Calradia was the forefront of her studies, and although the world lacked the mysterious races and magic Pendor has, it's filled with all sorts of outlaws, rogue knights, hostile adventurers, and cruel tyrants of nobles. Calradia has bred many great heroes that changed it in one way or another.

The tales of Derian Moonstone, Fenris Kaligan, and Sir Vixirin stood out the most to Alicia.

Derian was once a great Freedom Fighter of the destroyed neutral town of Zendar before it was swept away by the Dark Knights of Calradia back in the War of the Three Mormegils. The Freedom Fighters were the first line of defense when the city was in danger, but not only from attack by bandits and the Dark Knights, but also evil nobility and opportunistic rogue knights. Derian was said to be the last to fall protecting the town when the final battle hit, and even then, he was able to swathe through a group of the Dark Knights. His great sword, Valor is still said to be buried in the ruins of Zendar. The story even tells Alicia the relative location of Zendar. 'Might be worth it to check it out eventually.'

Fenris Kaligan mastered the use of bow and mount when the Khergits were fighting the Nords, Swadians, and Rhodoks all at the same time. He funded a large project, despite his commoner upcomings, to import Yatu warbeasts from Pendor and to breed similar warbeasts to make his horse archers able to withstand many attacks while being incredibly fast. He also used his relations with the Swadian court to negotiate a temporary peace so one front was lowered. The Khergits managed to survive the war with only one or two castles lost, and Fenris was praised well with the gift of Ichamur. The story says he is still alive today, perhaps posing as the Fenris Noyan.

Sir Vixirin was a great treasure hunter that was well known in all of Calrador. Through his discoveries, he found many great pieces of ancient weapons and armor, but he also found some ruins with remnants of the Dark Knights' cruel Undead soldiers and abominations. The guardians prevented Vixirin from searching further inside, but in the story, he notes a possible return of the Dark Knights of Calradia, but a smaller side note states that he has not convinced anyone important yet. The story states he is still somewhere in the world, perhaps searching for more significant pieces.

When Ilysanth was satisfied with Alicia's knowledge of lore and combat, she had Alicia learn more practical matters such as being a page at court, being able to maneuver around court, learning table manners (which isn't as complicated as people think), and finally, starting her training as a squire under a knight.

Alicia grew to know the people in Heaven's Crown and Suno's many servants. Many of them were busy, and the company headed out to combat the Swadian rebels most of the time, but Sigrun always found the time every night he was in Suno to pay a visit to Alicia after her long days of training.

Alicia found that she liked the way his hair sways in the non-existent wind whenever he was talking to Alicia, and his small, yet firm build as it struggles to find a way to address Alicia. Sigrun always found something to talk about, whether it was about Barclay (which Alicia was now an expert on), about Ilysanth and her legends, about Heaven's Crown and its troubles, or about how to properly manage an elite cavalry force.

Despite his well-educated speech and mannerisms, Alicia noticed that he still shared some of the ignorance the people in this time give off, and that only made her think of home. 'Home is long gone, and I will never go back. I'll make a fresh start here and now.'

"Something on your mind, my dear?" Sigrun grins widely at her, but the smile lacked parts of teeth here and there.

"What happened to your teeth?" Alicia looks at the broken teeth with a confused look. 'It looks so…odd.' She adds in silently.

"Eh, some rebel punched me in the teeth. It's nothing wrong. I can still talk fine, and kiss rather fine as well." He grins at her again, but quickly adds in before Alicia can say another word, "But that shouldn't be worrying you. Is Ilysanth treating you roughly? Or are the studies too hard for you? I can give you a few pointers if you'd like."

Alicia shakes her head. "It's nothing. I'm just a little tired. It's late, and Ilysanth wants me up early for another lesson. Good night, Sigrun."

Sigrun nods. "Good night, dear." He gets up off the bed and walks out of the room. His black cloak swishes the ground as a leaking trail.

Alicia lies down on the bed, and looks up at the ceiling. "I wonder what I should do after I'm done training. Should I become an adventurer and start my own company? Should I stay with Heaven's Crown and fight with Swadia? Or maybe I can explore the world and find secret treasure? Or…should I try to find a way home? Maybe I can save other people from my homeland and guide them to safety."


	10. Chapter 10: An End to War, Part 1 of ?

"We've trained for three months, Alicia." Ilysanth says as she paces around the familiar room where the training first started. Ilysanth's black plate armor reflects moonlight off around the room. Alicia looks down at the simple, plate and chain that cover her body as well as heavy gauntlets that surround her hands. "You have improved much over the three months, and now I think it's time to gift you with a weapon befitting of a true hero." Ilysanth walks over to one of the weapon racks and removes a simple, but sturdy broadsword. She holds it out in front of her, and Alicia kneels and receives it. "As the Noldor have gifted me Epilogue, I gift you Destiny. It was made with by the great smith Cidren Hailleaf to be used by you when you venture out into Calrador. Keep it safe, because the Noldor will see it and welcome you as a friend of me, an ally of the Noldor."

Alicia takes the blade and rises. "Thank you, Ilysanth." She takes a moment to inspect the sword. The sword occasionally radiates a dull red, and there are runes placed on the blade. The handle and weight of the sword fits naturally on Alicia's hands. She sheathes the blade and bows to Ilysanth. "What do I do now?"

"The choice is yours." The other woman says briefly. "Whatever you do, be sure that you are able to stick with it. I'll remain here for a few more weeks, but after that I'll be returning to Pendor. Lord Aeldarian is gathering soldiers to fight back against the Sarleon invaders, and he has summoned me specifically to lead the men." She smiles sadistically. "I'll finally get a chance to put a dent in their empire. I'm afraid I can't let you come with me, though. Elves travel and fight differently from Humans, because they don't require as much sleep or nourishment as we do. Perhaps when you've some experience on your back, I'll be happy to take you or anyone you hire on a minor campaign."

Alicia nods. "Then goodbye, Ilysanth. Thank you for teaching me about the world. I hope you, uh, destroy Sarleon."

Sigrun meets up with Alicia when she steps out of the room. "How did it go, my lady?" He grins widely at her. "Ah, she gave you a treasure I see." He chuckles. "You survived in one piece, too! Looking to join Heaven's Crown? We could use a well-trained soldier like you in the war against the Swadian rebels."

"Actually, Sigrun. I've made up my mind to start a new company and travel the world. Maybe in the future though, I'll be back here to help Swadia with troubles on their borders. Now, I want to see the world for myself like I originally intended to do back when I started merchanting."

Sigrun looks slightly disappointed but gives a nod and a playful slap on her back. "Well, I hope you won't forget us, then. Heaven's Crown will always welcome you whatever you do, Alicia. Oh, Alan wanted to see you. He said it was urgent. He's at his room in the castle. I'll be seeing you, dear. I have some business to do before the party leaves for a campaign." He waves at Alicia as he runs off.

Alicia waves after him. 'I guess he wants to congratulate me?'

Discussion was already leaking out of the slightly opened door to Alankel's chambers. Two men, it appears, but the other one had a voice streaked with experience.

"…she's a little young, I'm sure, so that's why she should have your company." Alan speaks with his same tired expression.

"Didn't she train with Ilysanth? I'm sure she knows much more than some old geezer can say at her shoulder!" The other man chuckles. "I'm sure she'll have more use for me as a surgeon than anything else."

"Who's this?" Alicia asks and looks around the sparsely decorated room.

The other man stands up and holds his hand out to Alicia. "Alicia? It's you, right? My name is Cid. Cid Apple!" The man has graying, but long hair around his crown of a head. His light green eyes shine with a brilliant youth that his leathery face seems to revolt over. He is wearing chainmail with a blank tabard over it. Two swords are sheathed at his belt, but Alicia has never seen such a weapon set being mentioned in Ilysanth's training before. Alicia takes the hand and shakes it. Although Alicia has become muscular with her training, Cid easily almost wrings it off.

"That's me. Can I help you?"

"I hear you're starting your own warband! Yeah, news travels faster than you. You're going to have to deal with it, kid. My name is Cid. I'm a world renowned surgeon who used to work for Ol' Alan here." He chuckles. "Pretty damn good with blades, too. That's why I have two of them! You're going to need a surgeon if you're going to survive out there, and I'm willing to help you for a very reasonable price of 10 denars a week plus upkeep for my equipment and medical supplies."

Alicia ponders this thought a bit, but she figures that she should bargain with the price a bit. "How about 5 denars a week plus upkeep?"

"Ho ho ho!" Cid nods his head satisfactory. "She's already willing to barter with her company! I like you, kid. Ol' Alan here nearly begged me to join his company. I'll be happy to work for free under your command, but I'll need a share of the loot. That's all." He leans in and whispers, "You passed the test, by the way."

"Glad to have you aborad, Cid." Alicia extends her hand, and as always, Cid nearly wrings her arm out of its socket.

"Good. Now, Alicia, since you're already intent on starting a company, I guess I can't force you to do a job for free. I need you to take this letter to Count Reland. He's staying in Veluca currently. The letter contains a peace treaty so we can start focusing on the Nords and the Rebels. Here's 250 denars to get you started. They'll allow a neutral party to come into the gates, and since there are no mercenary groups available at the moment, you'll have to do. Just don't let the letter fall into the wrong hands. I highly suggest you gather men to fight off any bandits that come your way. Good luck, Alicia. Do you have any questions?"

"I know what to do. And thank you, Alan, for everything."

"I help those in need." Alan says simply, and Cid and Alicia head off.

"To Veluca then, Captain?" Cid asks when they enter the town.

"We'll need to find some men first, and some ways to get money."

"Bandits have good loot if you can handle them. You'll be able to sell them to the town here, and you'll get a good price if you can barter for it."

She nods. "I'll take that into consideration, Cid. The day's wasting. Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11: An end to War Part 2 of ?

Alicia took some of the day to gather information about the safest route from Suno to Veluca at the request of Cid. "Always a good idea to know where you're going, I always say!" He shouts with conviction. "Besides, the Rhodok lands are teaming with mountain bandits since they're busy launching raids on Praven lands. Even that tactic is a little strange for them, but it seems to be working well enough!"

"Do you have any idea why they're reverting to new tactics, Cid?"

"Haven't a clue, kid, but the sooner we stop them, the sooner Swadia will start getting trade booming again."

By the time the sun nearly set on the horizon, Alicia figured out the best ways to make a profit selling hides and salt to Veluca as well as the safest way through the mountains and into Veluca. She even got a quest to take some goods to a merchant in Veluca for a handsome reward for 300 denars. "It's a start." Cid says with a grin on his face. "Easy 300 denars with me at your side." The two of them walk up to a bustling inn in the center of Suno. "The Pride and Wife. Might as well stop here for the night. We might even find some people to hire in this mess."

"People to hire? You mean mercenaries? Aren't they expensive?" Alicia remembers hearing about the horrors of having to pay for mercenaries from Alicia and Sigrun. They were the greediest of men in all of Calrador, and never the most loyal at all. Recruits from villages were always a better choice, but you'd have to train them from the ground up yourself. Given time, they could become a relatively good fighting force, but nothing about them compares to the lesser nobility and knights that serve in the greater lords' convoys.

"They are the cream of the crop, and they are especially valued in Calrador, but they are expensive to pay and their equipment will be the most powerful pieces of gear that constantly breaks down." Ilysanth mentioned in one of the lessons.

"Aye, they can be expensive. But they'll be well trained so we won't have to worry about losing them to bandits. The jobs we got should be enough to pay for the trip and some more, though. You can let them go if they're taking up too much silver."

Alicia nods. "That sounds good, Cid."

They walk inside the tavern. The tavern has many patrons sitting around and drinking away all of the ale of the little inn. The inn appears to be smaller, but well-kept compared to the inns she learned about from reading her stories. She looks around at the patrons when they find a seat. "If you do ever find yourself in an Astraea-forsaken situation where you must hire mercenaries, look for what pleases you from these three categories. Lightly armored men are cheap, but not very well experienced. Medium armored men are average in cost and experience, and they often come with some benefits. Unfortunately, they'll be a bit harder to be recruited if you're not well known. Heavily armored men are the most expensive and experienced, and they come with the most benefits. Some of them are elite cavalry units, others might be able to use powerful swords, – and if you're in Pendor, magical equipment stolen from Noldor or Heretics – others might even be from Veccavia, Barclay, Mettenheim, or Melitine who house very unique tactics and equipment on their own. There are a few who might have decided to return from Ponovasa, an island with Calradian colonies not far off the coast of Calradia, and they can carry some native equipment from there. Hire whatever your purse can fill for the next month, and expect to pay each of your men in full every week, or they will revolt and that will be the end of your tale." Ilysanth's words tunnel into her memory as she finds three tables housing each of the stereotypes.

One table has a group of lightly armored men who appear to be clad in chainmail and leather. 'Cavalry units. Light ones. They'll be useful against the forest bandits should we ever hunt them down.'

Another table has a group of medium armored men with morning stars and heater shields. They are drinking rather heavily, but most of them are able to sit upright. 'Infantry men. Their morning stars are deadly in Calradia, and they look like they can handle a few fights with some bandits.'

The third table has a few men in black heavy breastplates with dark chain around them. Unfortunately, before Alicia can even consider hiring them, they stand up and leave the premises of the buildings. Their flowing black cloaks trail behind them as they exit the building.

"I don't trust those knights in the black armor that just left." Cid grunts coldly.

"Why?" Alicia looks to him.

"They look too much like the Dark Knights of Calradia. Their surcoats even suggest that they belong to one of the lesser houses that once ruled over us." Cid snorts. "They've got a lot of damn nerve coming here. I don't care if everyone forgot the Great Leon Wars or the War of the Three Mormegils or whatever the heck you call it. I still remember it because I fought well in it."

"That actually sounds like an interesting story for later, Cid, but I'm going to go recruit some men for the trip before the others actually bolt off and leave to."

"A'ight, captain. Good luck out there."

It takes a while for Alicia to gather the ten men from both tables to her table. They crowd around it and Alicia quickly briefs them over on their payment and mission. It took a lot of haggling, but they agreed on the fair price of 18 denars a week for the medium armored men and 9 denars a week for the lightly armored men plus upkeep for equipment and horses.

"Go ahead and keep the rest of the day for yourselves." Alicia says to each of them in the eye. "But tomorrow, we ride in the morning. Early. I expect you all to be ready before I will be, and I will be ready well before the sun rises."

"Aye, captain." They nod to her and retreat back into the town for the day.

"Hey, kid." Cid nudges Alicia's shoulder and points to a man and a woman sitting at a table. They look withdrawn from the world, as if they'd lost everything and had its chewed remains spat back at them. "Ironically, I'd say the best time to hire people is when they're in the dumps. If they're not willing to hire, it's probably a good idea to help them out."

"Maybe, but I'd expect some payment in the near future if they send us on another quest." Alicia says grimly.

"Sure, kid." They walk over to the depressed couple's table. They merely look into their empty glasses without so much as a word between them.

The two of them look like fairly young farmers perhaps no older than their late teens. Their clothing are torn and dirtied in several places, and they almost look like homeless people back on Earth. Each of them have a sword at their belts, but the blades appear to be in crude quality as if they were never taken care of in a long while. 'Brother and sister. They have the same shoulder length red hair, similar noses and mouths.' "Why are the two of you moping around in this happy place?" Alicia asks in a soft voice.

"Mar'ders burned our home and farm, milady." The boy states in a tired, despairing tone. "They tuk our cattle and food and coins as well. Me and me sis are tryin' ta find a way to git some coins and foodstuffs."

"It doesn't look like it's going well. Do you need some help getting food and money?"

"Nay, ma'am. We's Tillan farmfolk dun't take char'ty frum strangers. We heard you have a merc'nry company, and we'd be happy ta werk fa you. We make good cuks and we can tend to your horse'ry too. We cin learn how to fight if ya really want us too."

"I'm good with a bow." The girl says shyly.

"I…" Alicia ponders the thought for a moment. 'Hire kids to fight? Well, I'm not that old myself.' "What are your names?"

"M'name's Arnold and this is me sis Tala. Will you let us cum wit' you?"

"Of course, we'll provide food and coin for you, but we can't pay you much until you learn how to fight."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll git our stuff r'ht away."

Cid chuckles loudly and slaps Alicia on the back. "Hiring kids now, eh, kid? Interesting idea there. They've got some fight in them, but it's not shining out yet." He grins widely. "Don't ask! I just feel it in my gut. Anyway, I'm gonna head up to bed. We have a great day tomorrow."

Alicia nods. "I'll do the same then."


	12. 12: The Crystal Children, 2 Kids' Origin

Some time ago….

Nathaniel looks over the horizon atop the simple roof of the house on the Tillan farm. The sun had barely gone up, but it still illuminated the farm and house with its brilliant white light. He smiles and stretches as he says in a chipper voice. "Another beautiful day for farming!" He hops down from the roof safely and heads into the house. "Arnold! Tala! Spot! Come on! Get up! We need to get some work done!" Nath reaches over and grabs his hoe, shovel, and a silver necklace with a small, blue stone on it that shines faint, blue light around its exterior. "Always need some luck, da always said." The kids and the dog, Spot rush down the stairs and say their excited greetings to their father. Spot barks excitedly at him. "Ready to make some food, kids?" Nath chuckles heartily and leads them into the fields.

The fields are tended to well, and they are almost ripe with a healthy glow of green. The kids and Nathaniel quickly move across the fields with grace and finesse while extracting the sweet barley from the fields. Spot stood guard over the house proudly and defiantly. Not even the sun would get past Spot.

By the time lunch came, Nathaniel was already inside the house cooking up a celebration for the year's successful harvest. "A little stew here and there. Maybe some chicken with spices. And for the big desert, a giant-." Spot's barks broke through Nathaniel's concentration. He walks outside of the house. "What's wrong, Spot?"

Spot growls at the direction of the fields, and Nath can see that Arnold and Tala are running quickly towards the house. "Mean men are coming!" Arnold shouts.

"Get inside the house. Now." They quickly obey and Arnold enters in the house with Spot. "Stay quiet. Don't say a word." He looks out in the fields towards a window.

Soldiers are running rampant in the nearly empty fields with scowls on their faces. They've obviously had a bad day, and they're raiding villages to resupply themselves, but this isn't a village, it's a farm. A small one at that. The surcoats on their armor have a red background with two swords sheathed behind a shield. "Katilus's men. They must be raiding the borders." Nath says softly. "Go to your rooms, kids." Nath nearly hisses.

They nod and move to their rooms.

Among the soldiers are a handful of men and women with blue cloth robes on their bodies. A strange looking crown is on their heads, and they only carry a small short sword for weapons. "Who are they?" Nath wonders to himself. Luckily, Spot remains silent but he stares out of the window menacingly. They come closer to the house, and Nath can hear the men talking.

"What the hell are we bringing the slaves for? We ain't fighting anyone but them Swadians."

"Did ye see what they cin do? They shoot fireballs! Iceballs! Barleyballs!"

The soldier grunts. "Magic. Just seems like an abomination."

"Well, we're winning the war, ain't we?"

"Quiet." Their captain rides up on his heavily armored warhorse. He has black plate armor with the same tabard they have. "There are people inside of their. Flush them out."

"With what, captain?"

The captain grunts and points towards the slave. "Watch and learn Bix." One of the women groans and holds her head. After a few seconds of struggling, she extends her arms and shoots flames towards the house. The house easily catches on fire, and Nath quickly runs up the stairs and shouts for his kids to use the fire escape.

"What's going…"

"No questions! Climb down the ladder!"

They nod and quickly climb down the ladder. Nath throws Spot down to them when they get down, and Nath quickly climbs down the ladder after them.

Unfortunately, the men have already surrounded the house. The captain rides up to them and grins at them. "So there are people in here. Good. The New Queen of Swadia, Queen Katlius of Praven demands you to surrender yourselves."

"We'll never surrender to you!" Nathaniel puts himself before the children.

"Such courage, but we don't have time for this." He raises his arm and the crossbow men put bolts through Nathaniel's body. He falls over with a silent thud. "Take the children, and…" Spot barks loudly and jumps on the captain. He nearly bites through his helmet before a soldier slices Spot in two. "I…SAID." The captain stands upright. "Take the children!" The men start to close in on the frightened children until 3 of the soldiers are sliced in halves. "Who's there?! Show yourselves!"

The captain is greeted with a spiked sword through his heart. "Shadow is here." The voice behind him says simply. The men quickly scramble to look for the enemy. Arnold grabs Tala's arm, puts a finger over his mouth and leads them away from the scene quickly.

"Where is he?! Where is he?!" They shout. Some of the soldiers kneel over the captain. "Captain's dead! Captain's dead! We need to get out of here!" The soldiers scramble for their lives in the forest.

Present Day –

"How's horse riding coming along?" Alicia asks the two kids with a smile.

"It's good." Tala says meekly.

"I thunk my horse'ry likes me." Arnold says with a satisfactory nod. 'I'm going to have to ask him what's with his speech some time.' Alicia thinks.

"Good. We'll be heading north to the Rhodok lands. Don't cause and trouble, all right?" They nod and Alicia moves back towards the front of the convoy.

"Enough trouble has happened." Tala looks down and sheds some tears.

Arnold puts a hand on her shoulder. "It will get better, sis." He manages a comforting smile to her.

'But who was that man? Shadow?' Arnold can't help but wonder what luck they had back there. 'Maybe da isn't so crazy about luck after all.'

A soft moving figure follows the convoy with the same necklace Nathaniel had in his hands. No one seems to notice the man at all during the journey.


	13. 13: Lore 1: Qualis Gems, Dragon Tears

This is a side series in the story. It will tell various aspects of certain characters, items, or little bits of history in the world of Calrador.

The journey to Veluca, despite the wars happening around the realm, gave Alicia a lot of free time between fighting bandits and deserters. The party was looking healthier with the food and gear they stole from the bandits, and the prisoners proved to be amusing to scare. They even rescued some new hands from the bandits they defeated. They're being trained well by Cid himself.

Alicia's thoughts usually seemed to drift back towards Ilysanth's lessons about the lore of the world. Today, her particular thoughts landed on the mystical Qualis Gems.

_The dragon Qualis lived and protected the soon to be Elven Goddess Astraea, known at that time as Althea. Although Qualis was tasked with little more than to protect Astraea, he often saw that the young Elf cried and wept for endless days and nights for the loss of her father, brother. The sorrow caused the Oracle to control the dragon Qualis to feel empathy for the young girl._

_The dragon shed tears from his clear eyes, and the tears quickly formed into crystals. Althea picked up one of these crystals, and she saw the magical energies being gathered inside of it._

_She knew they would destroy the world one day, but there would be no way to fully destroy them._


	14. 14: Lore 2, Katilus, Sister of Envy

"Cid." Alicia says above the droning murmur of the company. "How do you feel about Katlius?" She looks over at Cid who sits proudly over his great, black furred warhorse. His long, greying hair swept behind his crown as the wind blew on it, and he did not turn towards Alicia as he spoke in a grim tone for once.

"Well, Katilus is the only sister to King Harlaus I. Normally, women do not rule in Calradia at all, but Katilus is different. She's always been ambitious from the moment she was born. The blue bloods didn't allow her to rule, because there was already a blood heir to the throne. She didn't succed to get support until Harlaus I died to a poison attack. I don't know if she planned it, but the next day, she managed to gather nearly half the realm almost overnight and try to fight for the throne. Luckily, Harlaus found a heir when he did. The young king's a bright lad, I'll admit. He's not good with a sword, but he's got a clear head for politics and tactics."

"You didn't answer my question, Cid. I've heard from some people that Katilus is a coward."

Cid chuckles and shakes his head. "Nay, she's more stubborn and calculating than coward. She's already tried to take the crown a few times, but I wouldn't call her a coward for taking an opportunity when it came. I've seen how she rules her supporters though. She treats them like pawns almost. It's not healthy for this kingdom, but with the way she's winning the war." He gives a sigh. "It just means we'll have to release some fronts quickly."

Alicia nods. "Thank you, Cid."

She remembers the extensive biography Ilysanth provided for her. The woman seemed to take a strange interest towards the rebel queen.

_Katlius of Praven. Born in the year 1068, March. She is the older daughter of King Siegfried of Swadia. Through her childhood, she learned how to quickly maneuver around court and the battlefield. She bested the trials needed to become a knight at the age of 14, which marks her as the youngest female knight at the time of this writing._

_Although she was a beautiful young woman at her prime age of 18, she refused to court with other men stating that, "This is not my time", and instead, she found a peculiar interest in expanded Swadia's territory and trade routes. She was one of the five nobles that funded a grand project to open trade ports to the foreign lands across the ocean including Pendor. Through her projects, Swadia prospered until they became one of the most richest and powerful nations in all of Swadia._

_At the age of 20, King Siegfried was murdered in battle by the Baccus Imperial conquerer Diamedes Legati. The conqueror was killed by Katilus's men in a rage-induced order. Trade with Pendor but specifically the Baccus have dwindled greatly after that event, but Katilus still insists on trading with Pendor even today._

_A few weeks later, the Swadian nobles picked King Harlaus I, Katilus's younger brother to be king. Katilus was shocked, and she was said to exit the castle without another word. After that, she disappeared and only reappeared to lead 3 unsuccessful rebellions. Each of which was supported by a Calradian adventurer. Each adventurer was killed, and the rebellion shortly after._

_Katlius still remains alive today, and she is leading a successful rebellion which is rumored to be led by a Pendorian adventurer calling himself the Hero of Madigan._

_It's only a matter of time before Katilus finishes her conquest of Swadia._


	15. 15: Chapter 13 An End to War Part 3 of ?

Alicia proved to be rather good at organizing the men to build a safe and efficient campsite. The tents were safely secured, and the fires had no chance to burn either the wildlife or the tents. 'I guess sneaking into Boy Scouts really paid off. Mother, if you're watching this. I'm glad I didn't take your advice.' Alicia shakes with despair at the thought, though. The thin sight of home flashes in her mind, and the smile on her Uncle's face shines through it. She shakes her head and loses all thoughts of home.

Before Alicia could enter her tent after a long day's worth of travel, one of the rescued farmers ran up to Alicia. He is clad in some basic leather armor they found off of the forest bandits, and he is using a hunting bow and several quivers. Despite his running, the boy isn't panting at all. 'He's got a lot of stamina. I wish I was like him.'

"What's wrong?" Alicia asks softly.

"Some man in a dark cloak, dark armor, and some strange spiked sword wants to see you. He's over there." The boy points towards the north of the camp. 'This one will be a useful ally one day. What was his name? Oh, right, Joseph.'

"All right, Joseph. Did you remember to disarm him?"

"Aye, Alicia."

She nods. "Let's go meet him together then, but first, get Cid then report back to where the man entered."

"Aye, I'll get on that right away." He rushes off into the campsite.

Alicia walks towards the front of the camp to find the mercenaries talking with each other while glancing warily to a solemn looking man in dark armor, cloak, and hair.

Everyone looks up at Alicia then returns to their conversations. The guard watching over the man quickly informs Alicia about him. "He says he wants to share our fire. He's willing to pay in coin."

Cid and Joseph quickly arrive at the scene, but Cid is wearing little more than his smallclothes. He is holding one of his sheathed swords in his hands. "Eh? What's going on here? I was just getting some shut-eye. Who's this? He's dressed like an assassin."

"That's because I am one." The man states calmly even though, everyone puts hands on their weapons. He appears to be fairly young. His face does not have any blemishes sans some dirt specks here and there. His long, blue hair seems out of place in a world like Calrador, but it is well kept and groomed. His eyes house dark black irises that only add to his strangeness. His black armor appears to be made of a different material than normal plate armor, and his long cloak has several not-glowing runes on it. However, at closer inspection, Alicia can see that his ears are longer than any Human's but they droop backwards to the floor. A necklace with a small, glowing blue stone hangs around his neck, and Alicia can almost feel its magical warmth from that distance. "Allow me to explain myself. I am an assassin hired by King Harlaus II to slay important figures of the Swadian rebels, and also to protect any lives he deems important. Granted, his list of people to save…is rather strange. You, however, are not as strange as the others."

"Where is this list? What is your name?" Alicia holds out her hands expectantly.

"You don't trust this guy, do you?" Cid scoffs. "He's just stinking of evil."

"That would be because I have been hard at work recently, and I haven't been able to tend to my appearance. As for my name, I am called Shadow by my enemies, but since you are my friends, I am called Balathustrius A'la'na Hyperxian. Of course, you can just call me Thusions. I am a discriminated Elf, as you can tell by the droopy ears, and I'm always eager to take on a job in this part of the world. It's always so fascinating how different the monarchs in this land think." He clears his throat. "But I digress. Here is the list of names as you asked." He fishes in his cloak and hands Alicia a small parchment with the names of several unknown figures. The last name merely states Alicia. The document is signed with the elaborate signature of the young King Harlaus. Thusions also gives Alicia a quick portrait of Alicia. "Here's a picture before you come asking how I know how you look. That's not the only reason why I'm here, though."

"What else could you be here for? Are you going to take the letter from me?"

"No, no. I'm here partly because of the letter, though. If you'll look in the list, you can see the Tillan siblings on it." Sure enough, they were, but a third name was on the list, "Nathaniel Tillan". It has a red X menacing its side, and Alicia notices a few other names have the same X on it too. "I was told they came with you back in Suno. I want to return this necklace to them." He sighs and shakes his head. "It was their father's, and this necklace is very valuable. I want them to cherish the memory of their father." He murmurs in a voice that Alicia barely catches, "I just wish I could, too."

"I see." Alicia pauses for a moment and holds up a hand. "I would like a moment to confer with my men."

Thusions nods and bows to Alicia. "Of course, I will be off in the forests briefly to hunt some stag. I hear you're heading to Veluca, and the food there is terrible. Even the air seems to make rations decay." He turns around and runs off. His black cloak seems to make him almost invisible, and he runs with alacrity that doesn't go well with his thick plate armor. 'He seems so sure we'd let him come with us. Are all Elves like this?'

Alicia turns towards her men, and she finds that most of them were ecstatic or eager. However, Cid wears a scowl on his face. "What's wrong, Cid?"

"He doesn't seem right. I think that list is a trick, and he is an assassin. Why would the King stoop so low to hire an Elf?" Cid grunts. "But it doesn't matter if you want him here, I'll follow you till the ends of the earth."

"No, I want you to be content with our party, Cid. Why do you hate him?"

He scoffs. "I don't hate him, but it don't mean I'll be trusting him so easily. Look, I'll head to bed, just don't keep your eyes off of him." He starts off without another word.

"Cid!" Alicia calls after him. He doesn't even look back.

Joseph puts a hand on Alicia's arm. "Do you want me to bring the amulet to the kids, Alicia?"

She shakes her head. "No. The rest of you, why are you all so chipper looking?"

They look at her with confused looks. "Don't ye want us to agree?" One of the younger ones pipes up.

"No, I want you all to speak your minds. And a moment ago, you looked almost ready to kill him when he said he was an assassin."

"He's an Elf, Alicia." Joseph clears his throat. "They're fabled legends of Calrador, even if they are oppressed in their homeland. Although older folks like Cid remember that Elves with darker skin and magic, who called themselves Dark Elves, by the way, held powerful positions in the Dark Knights of Calradia, the ones who weren't in that army fought with the Pendorian forces when they hit their shores."

"But we were still betrayed and expelled into our sacred forests." Thusions's voice appears near them once again. Only a few moments have passed, and Thusions has a bag made of some special material Alicia didn't recognize. Although no blood slips through the bag, Alicia can smell the carcasses in it. Thusions has a simply longbow strapped around his body, and a sword with many spikes that seems to be held by a glowing white crown of light at his belt. "I'm surprised this young lad knows that much about the old days. What's your name, my good friend?" He puts down the strange bag and extends his hand.

"Joseph, my lord, and I was taught by my mam. She's an Elf, just like you." Joseph shakes the hand and smiles at Thusions.

"Oh? A Half-Elf, and you're lucky to be born with Human ears. You know, I actually prefer Half-Elves over the purebloods. They're less arrogant, and they don't eat as much cake as the knife-ears do. Those are the blue-blood Elves. It seems both of our races have much in common." He directs the last few words towards Alicia and chuckles. "Have you come to a decision yet? Shall I be travelling with you to Veluca? If you are, I have some grave news to tell you."

"Yes, you can come. Some of our men won't be pleased with you at first. What's the news?"

"Veluca's under siege by a large army of bandits with some adventurers leading the helm. Count Reland, the king, and a few other nobles are stuck in there with wounded and tired men. I doubt they'd let us into the city, but I hear word has been sent out for the realm to break off the siege."

"Why are bandits trying to take the city? Do they even have the equipment for that?"

"I don't even know how they managed to get their stuff, but I last saw most of them armed with nice chainmail and war swords. Whoever is supporting those adventurers must be powerful."

"What if Katilus is supporting them? Maybe she found out we were trying to negotiate a peace with the Rhodoks and wanted to stop us." Joseph pipes up.

"That would mean there is a spy in Suno's castle itself." Alicia sighs. "I hope that isn't the case."

"Nah, Katilus is pouring so much money into her troops, she's practically raiding for it now. Her forces are winning, but I've looked into her treasuries. They're not as full as they should be. Either way, we should find a way to sneak inside the castle or break the siege ourselves." Thusions says in a lazy tone.

"When will the realm respond to this?"

"I'd say in a few days. Will we be joining the fight?"

She nods. "Our assistance will not only break the siege faster but also make us friends with the Rhodoks. We'll set up camp a good distance away, and scout their progress."

Alicia's men nod, and the night ends with those words.

They wake up early tomorrow and prepare to move out.


End file.
